Voices are rising in favor of an assessment similar to the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church, which investigated the Catholic Church in France in 2021, to examine potential issues within Protestantism. Juliette Labarthe, director of the Equality and Diversity Service at the University of Geneva, stated that a quality investigation is needed to quantify the reality of such issues, particularly in the academic field. The Swiss Reformed Evangelical Church (EERS) has announced a study in partnership with two higher education institutions specializing in social work. However, the small size of the Lutheran-Reformed Churches in France may pose challenges to conducting an assessment, as it might allow the identification of individuals concerned despite anonymization. The issue of a study would be to determine whether, within Protestantism, abuses have a systemic character, which many of the interviewees consulted for this article doubt. Or to establish the link between spiritual abuse and sexual abuse. Most of the Lutheran-Reformed Churches in Switzerland and France have already set up listening and support cells and are working on procedures to prevent sexist and sexual violence (VSS). However, it is necessary that these procedures are harmonized between the Churches, which is currently a problem in Switzerland. To avoid the "family protecting itself" reflex, the reporting structure, which does not guarantee anonymity, must be separate from the consultation structure, which does. This is what the French Protestant Federation proposes, which has set up training on sexual violence and, for two and a half years, a listening line (01 80 52 33 89) that refers to France Victimes for personal support. Each structure must be accessible, and its procedures must be understandable, as recommended by the EERS in its 2025 principles and standards. The clarity of the procedures and the expertise of the interviewers are crucial. The Reformed Evangelical Church of the Canton of Vaud (EERV) has established an external body in 2025, as it is difficult for an institution to deal with allegations that remain to be proven. All while having to take into account both the suffering and demands of potential victims and the presumption of innocence of the accused. The issue of anonymity is raised but not resolved. If several anonymous reports denounce toxic behavior, even dangerous, should the institution take them seriously? And what to do with the various protagonists, victims and aggressors, within the same community? Some fear a witch hunt, others show excessive trust in the presumed abusers. How to remain united and able to speak openly? Marie-Jo Aeby, spokesperson for the Swiss SAPEC Group, a Swiss association supporting people abused by religious authorities, defends the respect, first and foremost, of the victims: their pace, their needs. A pastor from the United Protestant Church of France (EPUdF), who requested anonymity to speak, shares this concern: "It is necessary to respect the words of the victims and not to invalidate them if the investigation does not lead to results, because these are always complicated facts to prove. An acquittal does not mean that the aggressor is exonerated. It must be taken into account in the subsequent relationships within the community." Avoiding conflicts of interest is a key concern, according to Juliette Labarthe. The Protestant Theological Institute (IPT) has realized that there was an unhealthy situation after a recent investigation on a theology professor. Nicolas Cochand, responsible for the Church and Society master's program at the IPT, details that no system protects completely, but the principles have been firmly established and the avenues of appeal have been put in place permanently. Juliette Labarthe adds that the publication of the number of sanctions taken by the institution has changed behavior at the University of Geneva. "This shows that the situations are treated seriously and what potential perpetrators of violence are exposed to." Regarding the recruitment of volunteers in contact with children, the criminal record extract is systematically requested in Switzerland and France. However, "if we add more administrative tasks, documents to fill out, etc., are we not taking the risk of making youth work too heavy to organize and discouraging volunteering?" also question the EERV officials. The Unionist Girl Guides and Boy Scouts of France do it well. Since 2022, they have taken on the subject: they have set up a VSS support cell since 2023, voted a member protection policy in 2024, and they offer training times and publications aimed at children and animators. In general, the Church, as an employer, has no right to answer a recruiter on questions concerning one of its employees without their authorization. How to do it? In practice, "if references are requested from a Church and they do not arrive, we suspect there is an issue," explain the synodal advisors of the EERV. Both from the SAPEC Group and from Cynthia Guignard, responsible for church relations for the EERS, training appears unavoidable and at all levels. In Paris and Montpellier, the Protestant Theological Institute offers awareness workshops on harassment, discrimination, and sexist and sexual violence since 2025. The EERS has set up a webinar, currently ongoing. Jean-François Ramelet, president of the synodal council of the EERV, also advocates for more sensitized parish councils (presbyterian councils). "The body that can tell a minister that something is wrong, that must assume vigilance and a critical view, is the parish council. A lack of involvement can favor abuse." A double-edged transparency is another governance challenge. When these issues are discussed within the bodies, full transparency can harm the frankness of the discussion. "The fact that our general assemblies are no longer public will allow us to speak more freely about difficult things between churches, but also to question each other, encourage each other to handle reports and support each other in these efforts. A public assembly necessarily limits part of this speech. We need this space of trust to move forward together," estimates pastor Yves Bourquin, after a status change of the Conference of the Reformed Churches of the Romandy. However, in France, it is the lack of transparency that is pointed out. Cases are discussed between the ministry commission and the direction of the EPUdF without the members being publicly informed. Facing sexual or spiritual abuse, a more general reflection on the governance of the churches is also recommended. Without making abuse a militant issue or the sole priority, but opening a fundamental reflection on the issue of power in the Protestant community. A pastor thus advocates for maintaining respect for victims as a "moral incentive" and for "keeping the Gospel as a compass." The burden of forgiveness is a concern. Each church or union is invited to engage in a theological reflection on omnipotence, spiritual abuse, feminist theology, that of forgiveness, sin, and evil. "The burden of forgiveness in the Church still rests on the victim, with the injunction 'you must forgive'," points out Jean-François Ramelet. "And why not a conference?" suggests a theologian. Another question is raised by several interviewees: "What to do with the writings of the aggressors? Should we continue to use them, to cite them? Or, on the contrary, question them? Ban them?" For now, several attitudes coexist. In June 2026, the European Protestant Churches (CEPE) brought together representatives of Protestant Churches in Europe for two days on the theme of sexist and sexual violence (VSS). From the difficult awareness to action, passing through specialized staff on VSS, there is a great diversity among European Protestant Churches. "The word courage was often used in the tracks to advance on the cultural change," recalls Sibylle Klumpp, pastor and CEPE representative to the Council of Europe.